Tension as Heads of management and Boards of Federal Government agencies and parastatals fret over rumoured impending dissolution by the Presidency.
The officials are not afraid of the imminent purge as much as the prowling scammers and fraudsters, who have, since last week, laid siege on unsuspecting officials who may be affected by the exercise.
In the last two weeks, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), AbdulRasheed Bawa, were suspended indefinitely from office by President Bola Tinubu.
Since the removal of the two top officials, there were speculations that many more agencies and organisations were next in line to lose their top management and heads.
Reports emerged over the weekend that the gale of reorganisation would soon sweep across the management and Boards of Federal Government companies, agencies and parastatals as the President has already directed the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) to commence the process of reconstituting them.
The exercise expected to happen this week is reportedly targeted at all Heads and members of agencies, Boards and political office appointees made by the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, administration.
Although there were no official confirmation or denial to the report on Sunday, speculations were rife that the OSGF may act on the presidential directive this week to create the space for Tinubu to appoint his own men.
Since his assumption of office on May 29, Tinubu has moved to make good his promise to hit the ground running, with the roll out the policy direction of his administration.
However, apart from his key personal staff, the President appears to be bidding his time in the appointment of members of his cabinet, with only eight special assistants appointed only last week as he begins to constitute the cabinet his administration plans to work with to execute these policies and programmes.
The report on the imminent shake up by the government has unsettled most Heads of Agencies, particularly technocrats and professionals in top government positions, including political appointees who are now living at the mercy of scammers and fraudsters.
Since reports of the impending reorganisation, the scammers are said to have laid siege on the officials at their homes, major hotels and other strategic public places in Abuja.
Some of the affected officials said they were afraid to visit such public places as supermarkets and worship places for fear of being waylaid by the rampaging fraudsters who claim to be agents of government representatives shopping for replacements for Heads of Federal Government Agencies and Parastatals.
“My brother, I have never seen this kind of thing before. We are living in fear because of the activities of these prowling conmen everywhere. Since I was accosted by some of these men, who appeared too decent to be con artists. They always sound too responsible and well-spoken and appear well- dressed to be mistaken for a fraudster. I have decided he was not to leave my home and venture into public places.
“I thought there should be a clear distinction between Heads of agencies who are technocrats and politicians appointed as members of boards of parastatals. A clear distinction should be drawn between politicians and technocrats, whose appointments were based on career, experience, competence, professionalism and non -partisan considerations,” one senior government official lamented on Sunday.
The official who asked for his identity not be revealed told said further: “These scammers are taking advantage of the lack of clarification by the government over the rumour to harass innocent public officers with dubious claims of political connections with the new administration.”
He said these conmen usually claimed to be close associates of those in the corridors of power, particularly those they claimed had the ears of the President.
Some of the schemes deployed by the fraudsters include peddling influence by promising to use their high level connections to influence the appointment of their prospective victims as Heads of Federal Agencies, Boards and other juicy positions in the new administration.
“To deliver on their promises, they usually ask for bribes ranging from N35 million to as much as N50 million, depending on the position and agency the unsuspecting victim is interested in. Its unbelievable and I can never listen to them” the official said.
He said the situation demands urgent attention with clarity of by the government to stop these fraudsters of denting the image of the new government by their nefarious activities and save public officials from falling victims to these rampaging fraudsters.